The Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) scored on special teams, defense and using the old-fashioned power run to emphatically win the SEC West showdown that the Razorbacks (3-1, 0-1) hoped would stamp them as a legitimate contender.

Tide quarterback AJ McCarron also came up big in his first SEC start. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Marquis Maze scored on an 83-yard punt return and DeQuan Menzie returned an interception 25 yards for another score. McCarron, also the holder, hooked up with tight end Michael Williams for a 37-yard touchdown on a fake field goal.

No. 4 Boise State 41, Tulsa 21

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Kellen Moore tossed four touchdown passes, a pair to Tyler Shoemaker, in less than 2 1/2 quarters, Jerrell Givens intercepted Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinnie twice and No. 4 Boise State rolled to a 41-21 in its home opener on Saturday night.

The Broncos (3-0) won their 33rd consecutive regular season home game and this one was in hand by halftime, sending a large chunk of the student section off to celebrate thanks to a 27-0 lead at the break.

Moore added one more TD pass on the Broncos’ first drive of the second half, a 10-yard strike to Mitch Burroughs with 9:25 left in the third quarter, then donned a blue baseball cap and headset the rest of the night. He finished 23 of 29 for 279 yards and now has 12 touchdowns against two interceptions in three games.

Wisconsin (4-0) recovered from a slow start to take control of the game with a 21-point outburst in the final six minutes of the second quarter.

James White had a 49-yard touchdown run, Toon scored on a 59-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Russell Wilson and Toon added another score with 12 seconds left to send Wisconsin into halftime with a 31-3 lead.

Wilson had another big day for the Badgers, completing 19 of 25 passes for 345 yards and three touchdowns before taking a seat in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Dante Warren struggled for South Dakota (2-2), a Football Championship Subdivision school. He eventually was replaced by Josh Vander Maten, who led the Coyotes to a late score.

No. 7 Oklahoma St. 30, No. 8 Texas A&M 29

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Brandon Weeden threw for a school-record 438 yards and two scores and Justin Blackmon and Josh Cooper combined for 244 yards receiving as No. 7 Oklahoma State rallied for a 30-29 win over No. 8 Texas A&M on Saturday.

The Aggies built a 20-3 halftime lead before the Cowboys (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) took advantage of three Texas A&M turnovers and numerous penalties to reel off 27 straight points to take a 30-20 lead.

Jeff Fuller caught a 4-yard touchdown pass with 2:20 remaining for A&M’s first score since the second quarter to get A&M within 30-27.

A&M’s defense forced a punt and the Aggies (2-1, 0-1) got the ball back with almost two minutes remaining, but Ryan Tannehill threw his third interception to seal the Cowboys’ win.

No. 9 Nebraska 38, Wyoming 14

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — Rex Burkhead rushed for two touchdowns and a career-high 170 yards, Taylor Martinez threw for 157 yards and a score to lead No. 9 Nebraska to an easy 38-14 win over Wyoming on Saturday night.

The Huskers (4-0) rolled up 490 yards total offense, including 333 on the ground, in their first road game of the season and last game before their highly anticipated Big Ten opener at Wisconsin next weekend.

Burkhead had TD runs of 45 and 16 yards. He carried the ball 15 times for an average of 11.3 yards per rush. His previous career rushing high was 129 yards against Iowa State in 2010.

Wyoming (3-1) was led by quarterback Brett Smith, who passed for 166 yards and two scores. The Cowboys entered the game with its first 3-0 start since 1996, although two of their games this year were against lower division FCS teams.

No. 21 Clemson 35, No. 11 Florida State 30

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Tajh Boyd threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as No. 21 Clemson opened Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 35-30 victory over No. 11 Florida State on Saturday.

Boyd threw for 344 yards for the Tigers, who reached 4-0 for the first time since 2007. Freshman Sammy Watkins had two of Boyd’s scoring passes for 24 and 62 yards as Clemson beat the Seminoles (2-2, 0-1) for the fifth straight time in Death Valley.

Florida State played without starting quarterback EJ Manuel, hurt in last week’s 23-13 loss to top-ranked Oklahoma. Backup Clint Trickett kept the Seminoles in this, though, with 336 yards and three touchdown passes.

His 9-yard touchdown throw to Kenny Shaw brought Florida State to 35-30 with 7:21 to go. The Seminoles had one final chance, but Trickett was sacked by lineman Rennie Moore on fourth down and the Tigers ran out the clock.

No. 12 South Carolina 21, Vanderbilt 3

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Marcus Lattimore scored two touchdowns and had 150 total yards from scrimmage to lead No. 12 South Carolina to a 21-3 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday night.

South Carolina is 4-0 for the first time in coach Steve Spurrier’s seven years with the team.

But it was frustrating for the coach. Quarterback Stephen Garcia threw four interceptions.

Garcia did throw his third touchdown pass, as many as defensive end Melvin Ingram has now scored this season. Ingram recovered a teammate’s fumble in the end zone to go with two sacks, a tackle for an 8-yard loss and swatted away a pass.

It was another lackluster win over an opponent from a non-BCS conference for the Hokies, who are off to their first 4-0 start since 2006. But the pressure’s about to ratchet up with No. 21 Clemson due up next.

Virginia Tech displayed some big-play ability and kept the turnover-prone Thundering Herd (1-3) in their own end for much of the game. But Marshall continued to expose Tech’s vulnerabilities in the worrisome way East Carolina and Arkansas State did earlier this season.

Florida (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) scored three touchdowns in a 4:31 span during the first quarter, taking advantage of two turnovers by Kentucky (2-2, 0-1). Trey Burton had a 1-yard touchdown run that put the Gators up 21-0.

Demps had an 84-yard touchdown run, Florida’s longest since Emmitt Smith’s 96 yarder against Mississippi State in 1988. Chris Raney added 105 yards, and John Brantley was 8 for 14 for 115 yards and a score.

Kentucky’s lone touchdown came after an interception thrown by backup Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel. Morgan Newton, who was 16-of-33 for 124 and two interceptions, threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to La’Rod King with 1:18 before halftime to cut the Gators’ lead to 31-10.

No. 17 Baylor 56, Rice 31

WACO, Texas (AP) — Robert Griffin III continued his incredible feat of throwing more touchdown passes than incompletions, tossing for five scores and running for another to lead No. 17 Baylor to a 56-31 victory over Rice on Saturday night.

Griffin was 29 of 33 for 338 yards, upping his season totals to 13 touchdowns and 12 incompletions. He came into the game leading the nation in passing efficiency and third in total yards.

Griffin ran for 51 yards and even punted once, on a quick kick, for 39 yards. He led Baylor to touchdowns on five straight drives in the first half, putting the Bears (3-0) ahead 35-7.

Rice (1-2) was coming off a win against Purdue, its first against a team from a BCS conference since 2001, but never made this game close.

No. 20 TCU 55, Portland St. 13

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — TCU scored three touchdowns in a span of 1:18 just before halftime and Waymon James ran 65 yards for a score on the first play of the second half as the No. 20 Horned Frogs won 55-13 over Portland State on Saturday.

The Horned Frogs (3-1) extended a school record with their 22nd consecutive win at home. But they were still tied 3-3 with the lower-division FCS team until finally busting loose just before halftime.

Casey Pachall threw a short pass to Josh Boyce, who turned upfield to find a wide-open lane for a 66-yard touchdown with 1:55 left.

Portland State (1-2) took only one snap after that before Tank Carder’s 26-yard interception return for a TD. After the Vikings went three-and-out on their next possession, Skye Dawson had a 42-yard punt return and a 10-yard TD catch for a 24-3 halftime lead.

James also had an 82-yard kickoff return for a score.

No. 22 Michigan 28, San Diego St. 7

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Denard Robinson ran for three scores in the first half to give No. 22 Michigan a three-touchdown lead and finished with a season-high 200 yards rushing, helping the Wolverines beat San Diego State 28-7.

The Wolverines (4-0) sputtered Saturday on offense after halftime because Robinson struggled in the passing game. Michigan was fortunate Ryan Lindley couldn’t hit open Aztecs.

After Lindley missed a teammate on fourth down midway through the fourth quarter, Robinson’s 30-yard sprint set up Vincent Smith’s 7-yard run to give Michigan a 28-7 lead.

San Diego State (3-1) won its first three games for the first time since 1981, then became the first team to not start strong against former coach Brady Hoke this season.

No. 24 Illinois 23, W. Michigan 20

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Troy Pollard carried the ball for a career-high 133 yards and No. 24 needed all three of Derek Dimke’s field goals Saturday to survive Western Michigan, 23-20.

The Illini trailed at the half 13-10 and the game was tied 20-20 with less than nine minutes to play. Booing Illini fans recalled a 23-17 loss to the Broncos (2-2) the last time the teams met in 2008.

Pollard’s 49-yard burst midway through the fourth quarter set up a 21-yard Dimke field goal that gave the Illini (4-0) the three-point lead they wouldn’t give up.

Western Michigan quarterback Alex Carder was 30 of 48 with two touchdowns, 306 yards and one interception. His second-quarter scoring pass to Chleb Ravenell gave the Broncos their halftime lead.

Broncos receiver Jordan White caught 14 passes for 132 yards and a third-quarter touchdown that tied the game at 20.

No. 25 Georgia Tech 35, North Carolina 28

ATLANTA (AP) — Tevin Washington threw a long touchdown pass and ran for two scores, including a 5-yarder that gave No. 25 Georgia Tech a 35-28 victory over North Carolina on Saturday.

The Tar Heels (3-1, 1-1 ACC) fought back from a 28-14 deficit, tying the game on freshman Giovani Bernard’s 55-yard run with 7:22 left. Georgia Tech (4-0, 1-0) needed only four plays to respond.

Roddy Jones reached out to take a pitch from Washington that looked too far in front of the running back, going 48 yards down the sideline to the North Carolina 9. Two snaps later, Washington took it in for the winning score with 5:20 left.

Stephen Hill had a huge game for Georgia Tech with six receptions for 151 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown. Bernard rushed for 155 yards and two TDs.

In just his fourth college game, freshman Isaiah Crowell rushed for 147 yards on 30 carries, helping the Bulldogs (2-2, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) grind to a road victory. Malcolm Mitchell caught three passes for 93 yards.

Georgia jumped out to a 17-0 lead by midway through the second quarter and took a 24-13 lead into halftime. Bulldogs’ kicker Blair Walsh missed three field goals in the second half, but the Ole Miss offense could never capitalize. The Rebels gained just 183 total yards and scored only one offensive touchdown.

Georgia has won eight straight games in the series, dating back to 1997. Ole Miss (1-3, 0-2) has lost 10 of their past 11 SEC games.